Go for the Glow

Hard to believe it was only last summer that Jergens Natural Glow hit the market. Summer '05 saw glow-seeking consumers flocking to drugstores - and finally, eBay, to get their hands on this must-have product. Now that this summer '06 is winding up and cooler temps are setting in, pasty gals like me want to extend whatever summer glow they were able to acquire - and we find ourselves with a veritable Everest of options. It didn't take manufacturers long to realize that they could add a dash of self-tanner to their moisturizers and capitalize on this huge trend. See the list below - then let me know which one is your favorite.

• Jergens Natural Glow: The original, now in three shades and formulated for face. Body formula has some shimmer, which can look glittery in certain light.
• Johnson's Holiday Skin: This was a huge sell-out hit in Summer '05 in the UK. Now, US shoppers can buy the body products (not yet, however, for the face products) through Drugstore.com. Interestingly, they have a "Night" version of the body lotion, designed not to stain sheets.
• Olay Touch of Sun: Last summer, Olay launched Quench Radiance Reviver, which worked well but didn't quite communicate the sunny-glow benefits. Touch of Sun body lotions come in in Normal and Dry skin formulas, and there is a product for face with SPF 15.
• Dove Energy Glow: Daily Moisturizer with Subtle Self Tanners available for Fair Skin Tones and for Medium Skin Tones.
• L'Oreal Paris Sublime Glow: Comes in Light and Medium shades, and the formula contains "light-capturing micro-pearls" to add shimmer to skin. contains mango butter, vitamin E and sweet almond oil.
• Neutrogena Summer Glow: They have added SPF 20 to their body lotion, a great idea. The face product only has SPF 15. (This looks to be a much better product than their Build-A-Tan, which comes in body and face versions.)
• Vaseline Healthy Body Glow: Daily Replenishing Moisturizer & Touch of Self Tanner, in Fair and Medium variants.
• AVEENO Active Naturals Continuous Radiance: Combines natural soy with a subtle color enhancer to help even out skin tone and texture.
• Hawaiian Tropic Island Glow: Daily moisturizers for Light and Medium skin tones. Soothing Green Tea fragrance.
• Coppertone Gradual Tan: The body lotion comes in a pump, which is nice, and they have just launched a Face product.
• Clarins Radiance Plus: Self-Tanning Creme-Gel for Face, or Body Lotion with tiny mother-of-pearl particles to give skin a glow.
• Lancome Hydra Flash Bronzer: Daily Face Moisturizer with Nanocapsules of pure Vitamin E and a light touch of self-tanner

Post a comment with your own review and let us know which of this vast array of products is your favorite. You can read more reviews of Glow lotions on iVillage.

Here's to keeping a warm, summery glow as the days get shorter!